For the next month, Uproxx GPS is zeroing in on “microadventures” — day trips, quick jaunts, and small-scale explorations that will notch neatly into your busy life. As part of this initiative, we’re counting off the best day trips in five different regions of the country. Today we’re in the Midwest, where surprising shorelines and expansive prairies abound!

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Two weeks ago, we started this journey on the West Coast as enthusiastic adventurers, and our fervor to get the hell out of the office grows daily. The Southwest had us dreaming of rock climbing and hot, dry hikes. This week has us longing to kayak along the shore of some Great Lake.

That’s the beauty of Microadventures — one or two day mini-trips with a night spent in the open air: You don’t have to hand in your notice. You can get out in nature for a night or two, get that itch scratched, and be back typing your little fingers raw the next day. And, you don’t have to spend that much to do it. A tank or two of gas, food, water, beer, and one campsite fee later and you’ve spent less than you would on a bar crawl. Those tiki drinks add up.

There isn’t a single adventure on this list that doesn’t make up passionately love the Midwest. Even if you never get to Nebraska or a Dakota, reading about these places will make you wish you could. And — if you have been to these places — tell us in the comments and we can bond over our shared experiences. Nothing connects people via the internet like a shared love of caving in the Ozarks.